External Battery UPS for PC

PixelDew

PixelDew

Contributor
Hello I'm looking to get a ups for my pc and would want to avoid the internal battery ones that barely last 2 mins if you're in the middle of a game. The pc will likely be a 4080 + 7600x running on a MSI MAG 850GL.

I've come across these two - "UPS OFFLINE DESIRE PRO+ 2000" by microtek and the "APC Back-UPS BX2000UXI" by apc.

Can anyone let me know how many batteries are required for the microtek ups? The apc seems to require 2 batteries? (Can't say if it just supports or is mandatory to have 2)

Buying two batteries would be much more expensive than a single higher capacity one from what I've seen so ideally I would choose the ups that supports just one.

If anyone else has other external UPS options that they recommend please do let me know! I have considered a regular inverter but the switchover time always concerns me, that and the lack of line-interractive which idk how important it is.
 
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You will be needing 24v battery here so for LA/VRLA/SMF you will be requiring 2 qty as single battery is 12v only.
Also from specs i see that microtek says SWO time of 4-8ms while APC as high as 12ms. So do check hold time of your PSU.
BTW i am also looking for same solution as you and if possible i would go for LifePo4 battery setup as it will have more life in long term
 
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rockyo27 said:
You will be needing 24v battery here so for LA/VRLA/SMF you will be requiring 2 qty as single battery is 12v only.
Also from specs i see that microtek says SWO time of 4-8ms while APC as high as 12ms. So do check hold time of your PSU.
BTW i am also looking for same solution as you and if possible i would go for LifePo4 battery setup as it will have more life in long term
Click to expand...
You're talking about the microtek right? So both need 2x 12v batteries?
The microtek says 4-8ms typically so I'm not sure what the max is. The hold up time of the PSU is 17.6ms so it should be fine either way.
What's a lifePo4 battery setup?
 
I suggest you go for APC because it offers automatic shutdown in case you configure it to do so. It comes with PowerChute shutdown software.
rockyo27 said:
This is Lithium Iron Phosphate battery....either do it DIY or get some of the shelf
@rsaeon can guide you better in that aspect
Click to expand...
I don’t believe LifePO4 batteries will work with these UPS units. You might encounter charging problems. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
 
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If the charging voltage doesn't exceed 14.6 (3.65V x 4), it's safe for LiFePO4. For 2x12V, that would be 29.2 (3.65V x 8). You can overvolt a bit (some BMS go to 3.75V), but it'll noticeably degrade the battery pack's life.

The bigger concern is this (the entire thread is worth going through):

rsaeon said:
However, some people on youtube have noticed some BMSs will block the UPS from powering on after the pack is drained completely. They got around this by installing a push button that'll bypass the BMS wiring to allow the UPS to sense that there's a battery so that it will power on. This is for UPS models that need a battery to turn on even if they're connected to the mains ac. Most UPSs will let you turn on without a battery with a long press of the power button.
Click to expand...
 
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rsaeon said:
If the charging voltage doesn't exceed 14.6 (3.65V x 4https://amzn.in/d/bh6Pqp5), it's safe for LiFePO4. For 2x12V, that would be 29.2 (3.65V x 8). You can overvolt a bit (some BMS go to 3.75V), but it'll noticeably degrade the battery pack's life.

The bigger concern is this (the entire thread is worth going through):
Click to expand...
Yeah the lifepo4 batteries seem like they're beyond my level of understanding or willingness to DIY stuff. I'll probably just stick with the lead acid batteries despite them being worse. I saw this on Amazon that seemed interesting but given my lack of knowledge on any of this I'm unsure if it's worth it - https://amzn.in/d/bh6Pqp5

It would be too expensive either way given I need 2 but yeah lifepo4 batteries got me curious about easy alternatives.
 
rockyo27 said:
You will be needing 24v battery here so for LA/VRLA/SMF you will be requiring 2 qty as single battery is 12v only.
Also from specs i see that microtek says SWO time of 4-8ms while APC as high as 12ms. So do check hold time of your PSU.
BTW i am also looking for same solution as you and if possible i would go for LifePo4 battery setup as it will have more life in long term
Click to expand...
Coincidentally even im in somewhat similar fix as OP. My 1100va is not holding my PC (7600x CPU,850wPlat PSU,7700xt) and it starts tripping and beeping while gaming so went for 650va UPS just for the OLED TV and cutting close with the 1100va for the PC for time being. Now I ordered a 27" Monitor to separate my PC and want to update 1100va to 1500va. I didnt know there exist a concept of external batteries. Can someone throw some light on this?
 
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